


First Date

by AugustStories



Series: Agent and Freckles - The Gabriel and Natalie Saga [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Actors, Awkward Romance, F/M, First Dates, First Kiss, Venice Beach, Writers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-23 01:56:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19141258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AugustStories/pseuds/AugustStories
Summary: After a little moment of seemingly being overwhelmed, Gabriel caught himself again, or maybe it just coincidended with the arrival of their food... which... wasn't great, Natalie decided after two bites full of too salty pasta. She glanced over to Gabriel who was frowning down at his steak that seemed quite well done where he had ordered it medium. He glanced up as well and their eyes met and Natalie had never been on the same wavelength with someone so fast as they both spoke up at the same time and said: "this sucks."





	First Date

**First Date**

 

They had their real first date in a restaurant in Venice Beach, right at the Boardwalk in the setting sun, surrounded by the usual artsy craziness. Natalie had lived almost all her life in Los Angeles and she still couldn't get enough of this city, its counties and its people from all corners of the world and all levels of society.

 

The restaurant Gabriel had picked was a cosy little thing with graffiti on the wall and waitresses with brightly colored hair and even more brightly colored dresses. A wild mix of music was playing in the background and she read the menu with her lips curled up in laughter over the names. "This your usual hang out?" She asked Gabriel who looked so out of place, it was ridiculous. His black shirt was the only spot of black in the entire place, his dark red jeans clashing terribly with the pastel orange cushions on the chairs.

 

"Not really," Gabriel admitted and his eyes flickered up to a waitress hurrying past them with a tray, bright long blue hair moving along. "A buddy of mine said it was a cool place with good food."

"You know," she felt compelled to say because he didn't really look one hundred percent at ease, "I would have found any place charming. You didn't need to go for creative and cool." Their drinks had arrived already but they were yet still waiting on someone to turn back up to take their orders. "You're not exactly loving this, are you?"

  
Gabriel sighed, and tension bled out of him like cut strings on a puppet, "I feel like a kid in a candy store, distracted by everything to focus on what I should be focusing."

"We could still go somewhere else," she proposed and threw a look around, no one looked like they were soon to come over and finally take their orders. "I know a really beautiful quiet place not far from here. I think it'll be more comfortable."

 

They finished their drinks still and Gabriel played a weird game of cat and mouse with the waitress until he could finally pay. They walked the distance to the restaurant Natalie had known for years, her father had played with his band here many many times in the beginning of their time together. It was a cosy place, classic but not too high end, and she could see how much Gabriel instantly relaxed upon setting a foot inside.

 

Soft classic rock was playing in the background and the lights were dimmed over furniture and walls in warm colors.

 

"Feels better, huh?" She wanted to know in a chuckle when they followed the waiter down to their table, it wasn't open mic night so the stage was empty but the atmosphere was so much more her taste compared to that other place. And Gabriel seemed to agree.

 

They got their drinks and their orders taken right away, which was good because she was starting to get really hungry.

 

"So, you wanna play the twenty questions game while we wait for our food?" Gabriel offered up with a grin when the waiter left again and Natalie found his boyish curiosity adorable. She nodded and gestured for him to go first, "What brought you into writing?"

"Growing up the way I did, I was always surrounded by that creativity," Natalie jumped into her answer with glee, she loved her job so much, "My Dad has been writing music and scripts since like forever and when he noticed that I liked creating my own stories, he fully encouraged me to go down that path. I grew up on film sets and in convention centers. I loved that whole energy, I could never see myself anywhere else."

 

"You're working for your father's production company, right?" Gabriel asked her and she wondered if he had made a google search afternoon for her. Contrary to him she didn't have a Wikipedia page but her father did and she was mentioned on it, and she had some credits out in the web for shows she had worked on.

"I am, it was a kind of easy choice during college because I could gain practical experiences and after I graduated I just really liked the projects he had coming up so I staid," she explained and just so managed to keep from fiddling around with her hair again, she did that a lot when she was nervous, the good kind of nervous. "What about you, what brought the great Gabriel Roger into acting?"

 

"You wanna make me believe you didn't read my Wikipedia page already?" He smirked at her and took another sip of his beer, she was glad he hadn't pretended to pick anything fancy just to impress her. She wasn't going for alcohol anyway, she just wanted them to be comfortable.

"I did, then and now," she admitted without blushing, she was a writer, her father owned a production company, of course she kept track of upcoming young actors. "But I can still ask, can't I? What made you choose the drama club in high school?"

 

"Would you believe me if I told you I sucked at sports?" He wanted to know and she glanced him up and down before raising an eyebrow, "Yeah, thought so, too. I don't know, I really just wanted to do something different. I was all about going against the norm when I was a teenager, and then I found out that I really loved acting." His eyes were glowing while he talked, as if the color was gaining light while he remembered the passion he had for his art.

 

He was a method actor, if she hadn't known that already, she would have seen it now, the way he really gave himself into something, even if it was only a conversation now.

 

"Tali?"

 

Her name being called out by a familiar name had her excuse herself from the topic for a moment as she turned around, she smiled in the next moment when she saw one of her father's closest friends walking up to them between the tables. She got up just in time to hug him, feeling as dwarfed as ever with his taller than human physique.

 

"I'm not gonna intrude," Neil said with a quick glance over her shoulder as they broke apart and Natalie felt herself blushing, "Just didn't want to pretend I hadn't seen you. Tell your Dad I'll call soon. Have a nice evening still, kids." He left with a wink in Gabriel's direction and Natalie sank back into her chair in a mix between mortified and amused.

"One my Dad's friends, plays with him in a band. I've known him my entire life," she explained while Gabriel still blinked after Neil, a little gobsmacked, but also a little impressed, "The whole convention circuit back then really gave us a second family."

 

They skipped right into the family business then and asked the questions they more or less already knew the answers to. He was an only child, parents married since college, white picket fence house in the suburbs of Nashville, grandparents around the corner. She was the oldest of three, her Dad had her with a girlfriend in his freshman year of college, girlfriend left him with the baby. Her Dad met Diane when she was six, she got a Mum and later two half-siblings, a brother and a sister, rest of her insanely big extended family was spread out all over the country.

 

And then just add the whole "Mystic" cast to it as pseudo aunts and uncles, and how did she ever date anyone...

 

After a little moment of seemingly being overwhelmed, Gabriel caught himself again, or maybe it just coincidended with the arrival of their food... which... wasn't great, Natalie decided after two bites full of too salty pasta. She glanced over to Gabriel who was frowning down at his steak that seemed quite well done where he had ordered it medium. He glanced up as well and their eyes met and Natalie had never been on the same wavelength with someone so fast as they both spoke up at the same time and said: "this sucks."

 

They broke out laughing, all with heads thrown back and eyes squished shut, Natalie didn't care about the looks thrown their way. This was the best and worst first date she had ever had.

 

"I am so sorry," she forced out through chuckles only a moment later, "They really usually serve awesome food, the cook must have a bad day." She made an excuse but Gabriel waved it away.

"Non-perfect food aside this place is still way better than the first place and I'd rather have the good company than a medium raw steak. I'm not that hungry, had to handle too much gore during filming today," Gabriel mentioned casually and then caught sight of the face she must be pulling, he winced. "Urgh, dammit, what a dinner topic. Sorry."

 

"It's fine, this is better than any smalltalk I've ever had. At least you're being yourself."

 

And they somehow slipped into a competition over the worst dates they'd ever had and they were in stitches at the end of it, plates half empty and abandoned. She hadn't had such a great time with someone she hadn't known for years in a long time and when Gabriel insisted that he pay she didn't put up a fuss and just let him, still rolling her eyes over his comments of 'Southern Gentleman upbringing'.

 

He was a total sweetheart, and so far from the pictures she had of so many new TV stars.

 

Gabriel Roger was normal, despite the fame, despite the popularity.

 

When he proposed a walk along the beach to round up the evening, Natalie happily accepted and took off her shoes before jumping into the sand. The water was a bit cooler than expected and Gabriel ramped his toe against a rock, at which point they broke out laughing for the uptenth time that day. Gabriel showed his mischievious side when he tackled her into the sand and Natalie threw her shoes straight into the ocean which caused her to laugh even harder and curl against the warm body next to her.

 

"This is a disaster," Gabriel deadpanned into her hair but Natalie shook her head, a hand pressed over her mouth to keep the snorts and pearls of raw laughter from deafening Gabriel.

"No, it isn't," she disagreed and pulled up a little to look up at him, at those eyes shining so bright in the moonlight, "This is perfect." She smiled and he grinned, and then she just leaned up and kissed him, and at least that went completely according to plan.

 

\--

 

When she turned home later, her Dad was still awake and scrolling through twitter while a movie ran on the TV. She beelined for him and dropped down on the couch next to him, leaning against him and smiling over the arm that got blindly pushed around her shoulders.

 

"Had a good time?"

 

"The best!"

 

"That's good to... why are you covered in sand?!"

 


End file.
